House Panel Requests Interview with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The committee will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Past Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The public has the right to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide redress for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.